Beneath New York
by The Queen of Valencia Torgue
Summary: Percy and Annabeth end up in the Underland after being forced to take Gregor and Lizzie to the movies. Post TLO, CoC. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya, Peoples! I'm Queen, and this is my first crossover. I don't own PJO or GTO, but I love 'em to pieces! Anyway, here it is, the prologue of Beneath New York. Enjoy!**

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><p>Prologue<p>

As Percy Jackson stared at the swords pointed at him, he couldn't help but wonder what he had stumbled into. His girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, was standing back to back with him. She too, had swords at her throat.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" he heard her whisper.

Just then, a shout came up from somewhere to his right. Percy turned his head to see the crowd parting, making way for four figures. Though the light was dim, Percy could see them fairly well.

One was a man, limping slightly. Another was a girl, probably about fourteen. She wore a gold circlet on her head and an authoritative glare on her face. The third figure was a rat. Now, Percy had seen some pretty big rats. He lived in New York City, after all. But this rat was HUGE. It was on all fours right now, and it was still about four feet tall.

Percy shuddered, and his gaze slid to the last person in the group. He blinked. His jaw dropped. "_You_," he breathed.

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><p><strong>Ta-da! Extremely short? Yes. Yes it is. I should have chapter ha! up soon, I have already got it and chapter two typed up, so...yeah. Please review and all that. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, that took longer then planned. Oh, well. Read. Review. May the Force be with you.**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

"Percy, what are you doing this afternoon?" Sally Blofis asked her son as she cleared the breakfast dishes from the table.

"Nothing much," Percy answered. "Annabeth's coming over, and we're going to a matinee showing of the new Harry Potter movie."

"What time is she coming?" asked Sally.

"At about two. We were planning on hanging out here for an hour or two before the show starts."

"Oh dear." Sally looked a bit guilty.

"What?" asked Percy, an apprehensive feeling coming over him. "What is it?"

"Well…You know that expectant mothers club I joined?" Sally had recently found out that she was pregnant, and had joined a group of other soon-to-be moms.

"Uh, yeah?" Percy didn't know what that had to do with anything.

"Well, I've made some friends in the group, and one of them, Grace Johnson, is coming over this afternoon."

"Well, good for you. I hope you have a good time." Percy stood up, ready to go get dressed for the day.

"Wait, I'm not done talking," said Sally. "Grace is bringing her three kids along too. She has a son just a few years younger then you who has been going through some hard stuff and Grace and I thought that you two could hang out."

"What?" Percy's mood took a sudden nose-dive. "But mom, what about Annabeth? What about our date? She's not going to be happy about this."

Sally shrugged. "Who said you had to cancel? You can still go to the movie, just take him with you."

Percy sighed, but he knew better then to argue. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'd better call and warn Annabeth."

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><p>Annabeth Chase was trying to decide what to wear to the movies. She wasn't normally picky about what she wore, but what girl doesn't like to look good for her boyfriend? She had almost decided on the green long-sleeved shirt with plain denim jeans, when her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and her frustrated expression was replaced by a huge grin. She answered the phone. "Hello?"<p>

"Annabeth? It's me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. "Me who?"

"Um, me? Percy? The love of your life?"

"Well someone's very sure of himself. How do you know that I'm not mad at you right now?"

"Hang on, you're mad at me? What did I do?" Percy sounded worried.

"Nothing, Seaweed Brain, unless you're calling to cancel our date."

No response from Percy.

"Percy, you aren't calling to cancel, are you?"

There was a bit of a pause, and then Percy answered, "No, but I've got some bad news. One of my Mom's friends is coming over this afternoon, and she's bringing her kids."

"Okaaaay," said Annabeth slowly. "What does that have to do with our date?"

"My mom wants us to take one of the kids with to the movie."

"Oh." Annabeth's heart sank a little but then she brightened up. "Well, that shouldn't be too bad. We'll just make the kid sit a few rows in front of us, and it'll be like they aren't even there. It will work, trust me."

"I hope you're right, Wise Girl." Percy sounded a bit skeptical.

Annabeth smiled again. "Seaweed Brain, if there's one thing I'm an expert at, it's being right."

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><p><strong>Hmmm. As my sister would say, that ending was a bit 'akwad'. I make no promises on when chapter 3 will be up. -Queen<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy birthday! It's me again. Read and review.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Percy was trying (and failing miserably) to tidy his room before his guests arrived. After two hours of moving stuff around and shoving things under the rug, he was saved by the sound of the doorbell. "I'll get it!" he hollered, running to the front door. He opened it to find a tall, thin, tired-looking woman holding the hand of a young girl.

"Hello," the woman smiled at him. "You must be Percy. Is your mother home?"

Percy blinked. "Uh, yeah, hang on a sec. Mom?"

Sally came around the corner. "Are they here? Oh, hello Grace! Please come in."

Percy held the door open as Grace and the little girl entered the apartment. Behind them, he caught sight of two more people; a shrimpy girl who looked to be about nine, and a tall boy with a scowl on his face. Percy couldn't tell how old he was.

The two kids followed their Mother, and Percy trailed along behind them. Sally led the little procession into the living room where she ushered everyone to a seat. The little girl sat by her mother and the other two kids sat on the sofa opposite. Percy was left standing awkwardly by the doorway. For a moment, there was silence.

"So," said Grace hesitantly, "You are Percy?"

Percy nodded. "Yep. That's me. You're Grace, right?"

Grace nodded. "Yes. Oh, but where are my manners? I suppose you haven't met my kids, have you?"

Percy eyed the two on the couch. The boy was still scowling, and the girl had slowly started to rock back and forth. "No, I can't say that I have," he replied.

Grace smiled. "Well then, this is Boots (she gestured to the small girl next to her,) "That's Lizzie (the one rocking back and forth,) "And the moody one is Gregor."

Gregor rolled his eyes.

"They are four, nine, and thirteen." Grace finished.

Percy wasn't quite sure how to reply to that, but was saved from answering by the doorbell ringing again. "I'll get it," he said to no one in particular, before darting out of the room towards the door. This time, it was Annabeth.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," she said, giving him a hug. "Ready to go?"

"Yep, just about. Let's go tell my mom that we're leaving."

They walked into the living room where Grace and Sally were chatting while the kids looked kind of bored.

Sally looked up as they entered the room. "Oh, hello Annabeth! Did Percy tell you about the change of plans?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, we'd better get going," Percy said. "Gregor, are you coming?"

"I want to come too!" Lizzie blurted out.

Percy inwardly groaned, but Grace looked delighted.

"Really, Lizzie?" she asked.

"Yes," Lizzie said.

Grace looked at Percy. "Would you mind if Lizzie came as well?"

Percy forced a smile onto his face. "No, not at all."

Grace beamed. "Thank you so much, you two."

Annabeth halfheartedly returned the smile. "No problem."

Percy looked over at Gregor. "Are you coming?"

Gregor sighed, but got to his feet. "Yes," he mumbled.

Annabeth frowned.

"Well," said Percy with false cheeriness. "Let's get going. We don't want to miss the previews."

Together, the four kids/teens left the apartment. Once they were out on the sidewalk, Gregor turned to Percy.

"Look, I know you and your girlfriend don't want us to come."

Percy opened his mouth to reply, but Gregor broke in.

"Don't try to deny it. I know when I'm not wanted. I've got a lot of experience with it. So here's an alternate solution. Liz and I will go do our own thing and you'll go do yours. You go back to your apartment after the movie and say that you dropped Liz and me off back at our house. Sound good?"

"Deal!" Percy said just as Annabeth said "No way!" They looked at each other and Percy pulled her aside.

"Annabeth, this is perfect! We get our date, and they don't have to put up with us!"

Annabeth bit her lip. "Something doesn't seem right, Percy. This kid seems…dangerous. I don't think we should leave him alone."

Percy looked over at Gregor. Gregor looked bored and on edge. Percy looked back at Annabeth. "I think he's fine."

Annabeth sighed. "What about the girl?"

As if on cue, Lizzie blurted out: "The square root of 5,184 is 72!"

Percy looked at her curiously.

She looked defensive. "Well, it is!"

Annabeth looked exasperated. "See what I mean? I don't think these kids should be left alone."

Percy was stubborn. "I'm not going to let them spoil our date, Annabeth."

Annabeth frowned. "Fine." She turned to Gregor and Lizzie. "Alright, you can go do your own thing. Just stay out of trouble."

Gregor nodded. "We'll try. C'mon Liz."

The two kids turned around and quickly started to walk away.

As soon as they had turned the corner, Annabeth pulled out her Yankees cap.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Percy asked as she pulled it on, instantly turning invisible.

"There is something weird about those kids," she answered. "And I'm going to find out what."

"But what about the movie?" Percy pouted.

Annabeth sighed. "Percy, you can take me to the movies next week. Now come on!"

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it. I do not own either of them.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! Sorry it has been so long, I kind of lost interest in this story for a while. This chapter is also really short. I do not own anything you recognise. Enjoy! *Important AN at bottom!***

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

They found that is wasn't too hard to move the boulder from its place.

"What is this?" asked Annabeth, peering down into the hole the rock had been covering.

"No clue." Percy mumbled, kicking at the grass.

"Well, come on!" Annabeth said, lowering herself into the hole.

Percy looked down at her. "Are you sure about this? We can still catch the 3D matinee if we hurry."

In response, Annabeth grabbed his ankle and dragged him into the hole.

"Ouch," Percy rubbed his head, sitting up from the floor.

Annabeth moved the rock back into place, and they were plunged into darkness.

"Ouch! Watch where you're stepping, that was my hand!"

"Sorry! Stand up and we won't have that problem. Hey, watch it!"

"Oops, didn't see you there. You know, 'cause it's dark…"

"I'm not the one with a glowing sword, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh." Percy sounded sheepish. He fumbled around for a second, and then Riptide shimmered into being, casting light onto the tunnel in which they were standing.

"Whoa," Annabeth said, peering into the gloom. "What is this place? Where do you think the tunnel goes?"

Percy sighed. "I suppose we're going to follow it and see, aren't we?"

Annabeth just smiled and started off down the steeply sloped tunnel.

"Do you think it goes to the Underworld?" Percy asked.

Annabeth frowned, but shook her head. "It doesn't have that feel, you know? It doesn't seem quite as… ominous. But I—Whoa!"

Percy grabbed her arm just as she teetered on the brink of a cliff. In front of them, the floor suddenly had given way to a near vertical slope, pitching downward as far as they could see.

"Ah!"

Percy yanked her back and they both stumbled away from the edge. Annabeth was shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked her, holding her close.

"I-I'm fine." She took a deep breath and edged back over to the cliff. "Hey, can I borrow your sword?"

"Uh, sure." Percy handed it over.

Annabeth held it for a second, and then tossed it over the edge of the cliff.

"Hey!" said Percy, but Annabeth was counting as she watched it fall.

It grew dimmer the farther away it got, and at last they heard a _splash_!

"That's a long way down," Annabeth remarked.

"You just chucked my sword over the side of a cliff!"

"Good thing it always appears in your pocket again," Annabeth said. "My question is, where did the kids go?"

"What do you mean?" asked Percy, pulling out his pen and uncapping it, the glow from the sword lighting his face.

"I mean, the kids came down here, there was no other tunnel they could have taken, and they've vanished. So where did they go?"

Percy turned to look at her, just in time to see something huge and dark move behind her. He opened his mouth to yell, but suddenly was hit with something furry and strong that swept him off his feet. He grasped for Annabeth's hand as they were hit again, and the blow this time knocked them right off the side of the cliff. He didn't even have time to scream before he was falling, down, down.

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><p><strong>Okay. I am going to need some help on this. I am not putting it up for adoption quite yet. I'll keep trying to work with it. But I need ideas. Good ideas. I will not make Gregor or Lizzie demigods, nor any of the Underlanders. But right now I have no idea where this is going. <strong>

**I will accept character suggestions (canon or OC), plot suggestions, dialogue suggestions... pretty much anything you want to throw at me. If I use your suggestion, I will credit it to you in the Author note. Let's make this story Fly High! Thank you, and happy reading! -Queen out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! Well, I finally have an idea of where I'm going with this, thanks to guest hmmm and Word To The Wise, who served as an excellent soundboard for the next few chapters. Thanks, WTTW! And also, the first few chapters were not my best writing. I'm getting serious now, so my writing will improve. Thank you to the 12 people who have subscribed to this, surprising me with an e-mail every now and then. You guys rock! Okay, enough of me. On to the story.**

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><p>"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, trying to twist around, grab hold of her.<p>

"He—" her voice cut off suddenly, as if she had hit something.

Light. That's what he needed. Still falling, Percy dug in his pocket, praying that his sword had reappeared. Finding it, he had no time to be relieved before he had yanked it out and uncapped it. Its light shone just bright enough for him to see that Annabeth was no longer falling with him, and suddenly there was a giant cracking sound, stars were filling his vision. He stayed conscious just long enough for it to register when he hit the water, and then he sank down, down... and knew no more.

When Percy woke up, there were a bunch of fish staring at him. Well not exactly staring, because these fish didn't have eyes, but sort of mentally examining him. He blinked.

_Welcome, Sea Master. It has been a long time since we have seen such as you._

Percy thought that was kind of ironic, again because of the whole lack-of-eyes thing, but he didn't question their choice of words. His head was feeling kind of stuffy, as if he'd inhaled a bag of cotton balls and they'd lodged in his brain.

"Uh, yeah. So like, where are we? I think I'm kind of lost."

The fish convened for a moment, and then answered him. _Great Sea Master, you are in the Underground Ocean. Long ago, our ancestors came freely from the sea to this place through a channel that has since been lost. We dwell here now, and shall forever more._

Underground Ocean. An ocean, beneath New York. Suddenly his last waking moments came back to him, and he sat up in a panic. "Annabeth! Oh, man, where is she? Do you know?" he asked the fish.

They were silent for a moment. _Great and Powerful Sea Master, we know not who you speak of. Is she a Sea Mistress?_

Percy was almost hyperventilating as he jumped to his feet and started scanning the surrounding area. If he had been knocked out, then he wouldn't have been able to keep Annabeth safe from the water. They had been pretty high up when they fell, and he didn't think that she would have been able to survive that on her own. Some boyfriend he was. Cupping his hands to his mouth he called out her name, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to hear him underwater, even if she was still— no. He wouldn't think like that. Annabeth _had_ to be alive.

"Look," he told the fish, "I need your help. There was a girl with me, her name is Annabeth and she can't survive the sea like I can. Will you help me find her?"

_Oh Wise and Powerful and Great Sea Master,_ the fish said,_We would be happy to be of service. But you were the only being to fall from above._

"What?" Percy asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

_You were the only one to enter these waters. There was no female with you._

Percy thought back to that minute before he had blacked out. He had pulled out his sword and... Oh. He hadn't seen her. But if she hadn't fallen... Then where was she?

_Is something wrong, Oh Contemplative and Wise and Powerful and Great Sea Master?_

"Yes," said Percy, "No. Maybe. Hey, do you know if there are any... People down here? People like me?"

_You are the only Sea Master._

"No," said Percy, standing up and beginning to pace. "I mean just regular people. Humans. Are there?"

_Ah, the Killers. Yes._

Percy frowned. Killers? That didn't sound good. But it was a start. He had no idea how Annabeth had stopped her fall, but he knew that if she couldn't get back to him, she would try to find other people. Unless she had been captured by what ever had pushed them over the edge... Percy shivered. He hoped not. Whatever it was, it was pretty tricky to have sneaked up behind two seasoned senior demigods. Okay, so his plan. Find the people.

"Where are the... 'Killers' located? Can you take me there?"

_We shall tell you the way, Oh Demanding and Contemplative and Wise and Powerful and Great Sea Master, but we shall not take you there. Doing so would be the death of us. _

Percy shrugged. "Fair enough."

The fish told him the way, putting images in his mind of the way to go.

_We would advise traveling under the water, Oh Traveling and Demanding and Contemplative and Wise and Powerful and Great Sea Master. We wish you safe travel, and good luck. You shall need it to face the Killers._

Swallowing, Percy nodded. "Uh, thanks. Right back at you." He turned to face the direction in which the fish had directed him to go, and commanded the current to start carrying him on.

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><p>While Percy was talking to flattery-prone fish, Annabeth found herself in a much different situation. She was riding on a bat. And not just any bat. This bat had a fifteen foot wing-span, and could talk. Understandably, she was slightly in shock. There was another person on the bat with her, a young man, probably a couple years older than her, who was <em>way<em> too interested in her hair.

"Stop it!" she said for the fourth time, pulling her pony-tail over her shoulder and turning to glare at the man.

He shrank back in shame, his unnatural purple eyes looking sheepish. "My apologies," he said. "It is just so..._bright._"

She glanced up at his own hair, which looked as if all the color had been sucked out of it. In fact, his whole body looked like the color had been drained. She could see his veins, purplish-blue, standing out beneath his skin. She would have thought he was an albino, if her other escort, an older woman riding her own bat, hadn't looked exactly the same.

"Who are you people?" she asked, knowing that the question was a little rude, but not caring. She needed the information if she was going to plan her escape.

"I am he called Merco, and she is Miranda." he gestured to the woman. "And you?"

"Um, I'm Annabeth." she said. "So, like, are you the only people down here?"

Merco frowned. "Certainly not. We have two settlements, Regalia and the Fount."

Miranda interrupted. "Perhaps, Merco, it would be better to explain more later. We do not yet know if she can be trusted."

Sighing, Merco said, "Yes, Miranda." He didn't look too happy about it.

Annabeth turned her attention to the rope binding her wrists. She had her bronze dagger strapped to her leg under her jeans, but it would be really hard to get to without Merco noticing, and anyway, she was fairly certain that he was human.

She decided that for the moment it would be best to just submit to whatever they had in store for her, until she could find a good opportunity. If only she had Percy with her. She was worried about him. It had been a long fall. Merco had not realized that there were two people falling, and had only picked up her. She had heard a faint splash as they flew away, so she knew he had made it to the water. She just hoped he wouldn't end up doing anything rash, like flooding the entire Underland. That would not be good.

Suddenly, a voice came from somewhere in from of her, and it took her a second to remember that the bats could talk.

"We are almost to the city. Shall she be blindfolded?"

Miranda considered that. "No, I think not. Let her see."

Annabeth was intrigued. The city? Just then, the bats went into a dive, startling her. She clutched the bats fur, and it made a sound of displeasure.

"Do not hold on like that," Merco said, leaning forward and grasping her hands in his, getting her to release her grip. "You must trust Heracles. He shall not let you fall."

Annabeth nodded, pulling her hands from his grasp. She was still tense though, as the bat continued to move downward. Then, Merco's words registered.

"Heracles? It that it's name?"

"Yes," replied the bat, sounding a little disgruntled, "That is my name. And I am male, not an it."

"Oh," Annabeth said. "Sorry."

The bat did not reply.

Annabeth processed that information. A Greek name. The bat was named after a Greek hero. Interesting.

Miranda and her bat pulled in front of them as they entered what seemed to be a tunnel. Annabeth tensed again, but did not grab hold of the bat.

Miranda spoke. "Annabeth."

"Yes?"

"Welcome to our Capitol. The city of Regalia."

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><p><strong>Well, Annabeth's going to have fun with the architecture. Like the flattery-prone fish? They were fun to write. Oh, and I don't own either fandoms. If I did, my TUC fanfiction would be sitting on book store shelves as books 6 and 7, and Percy Jackson would have been set in Norse Mythology because that's my favorite. Anyway, review! Follow! Favorite! And go check out my other writing. Queen out.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, I'm back! 29 reviews! Not bad for five chapters. I do not own either fandom. It's probably for the best. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.**

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><p>Chapter 6.<p>

Travel underwater was easy. Percy simply had to sit back and let the currents move him to wherever he had to go. Unfortunately, the ease of the task meant that his brain was not occupied. By extension, that meant that he could think about other things. Like Annabeth. And the kids that had gotten them into this in the first place.

Something was definitely up with Gregor and Lizzie. He was pretty sure they weren't demigods, but who were they? How did they know about this underground place? And come to think of that, how had an entire underground ocean gone unnoticed beneath New York City? And what about Hades? The Underworld could be accessed through Central Park as well. Was it deeper than this place? How many layers did the world have? Not to mention the now-destroyed Labyrinth... So many questions, not enough answers.

Percy missed Annabeth. He really hoped she was okay. His thoughts turned to what had pushed them. It had felt big, but it was too fast and too quiet to have been a person. He didn't think it was a monster, they generally went with a head-on approach. What them? He hated not knowing, and shivered a little. Whatever this place was, he could already tell that it had very different rules than the ones he was used to.

It was hard to keep track of time, but he estimated it had been about two hours before he felt a change in the currents. Running a hand over and around the waters, he sensed that he was close to an outlet from a river, just like the fish had told him. He told the water to carry him to it, and they willingly obliged. After another ten minutes of traveling up stream, he began to pick up on signs of civilization.

Above his head, he could see what appeared to be the bottom of boats, though they looked strange. He couldn't tell what they were made of, but it wasn't wood. He could also see the faint glow on the surface of the water that indicated light above it, and so that's what he aimed for.

Moving slowly, he let his eyes come just above the surface of the water first, so he could see what was going on. What he saw astonished him.

They were people, there was no question about that. But they looked...weird. There were two men, a woman, and a couple of younger boys, probably about fourteen or fifteen. The men were standing in one of the boats, handing baskets of something out of the boat to the woman and the boys. That wasn't the strange part, part though. No, the weird thing was their lack of color. They looked like something that had never seen the light of day, with no semblance of skin pigment whatsoever. Their hair was a silvery color, and their eyes were a shade of purple that would make the Aphrodite girls jealous. Their veins stood out through their skin, and Percy found himself looking for pointy teeth. They reminded him of vampires, almost.

Rising a little bit higher out of the water so that his ears were clear, he could hear their conversation.

"Good catch today," the woman said, stooping to accept another basket.

"Yes," agreed one of the men. "Good thing, too. It is soon our turn to host the peace feast."

"I do not know how peaceful it shall be this time," the other man interjected.

"What do you mean?" asked the woman.

"Have you not heard? Many of the fliers have disappeared with no trace. I heard that the Queen is even missing her bond."

"Aurora?" one of the boys paused in his basket lifting. "That is odd. My bond is good friends with her, and did not mention that."

"The Queen is trying to keep it quiet," the man stated. "I heard that she does not want to cause us any alarm."

"Still," the boy replied. "I find it odd..."

Percy saw his chance. As the boy turned his back, he made the waters rise high enough for him to scramble onto the rock ledge. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he melted back against the carved wall. The workers didn't see him. Good.

He edged along the wall, making sure to only move when the workers had their backs turned. The area was lit with lamps made out of stone, burning some kind of oil. The glow they gave off was cheerful, but not enough to fill all of the corners, which made it perfect for sneaking around.

On an impulse, he took Riptide out of his pocket, though kept it capped. Moving as swiftly as he could while remaining in the shadows, he navigated the stone passages. They eventually led him into what seemed to be the streets of a city, where there were a lot more people around. He almost wished he wasn't sneaking around, because this place was actually really interesting. Intricate carvings covered every inch of the walls of the stone buildings, and the architecture was so amazing that Annabeth would have been jumping up and down for joy. However he didn't have the time right now, he had to find Annabeth. He started turning corners whenever he saw someone with the pale skin and hair (which was everyone he saw), and thus moved around with no particular destination in mind. He hadn't really thought out what he was going to do once he had reached the home of the Killers.

After ducking down a side path to avoid a woman with a couple of small kids, he paused to try to orient himself. As he did so, he suddenly heard something that instantly sent his heart racing. The sound of swords clashing together, and shouting. Lots of shouting. With only one thought in mind, he started running towards the sound.

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><p>Annabeth was speechless. She closed her eyes, counted to three, and opened them. One of the most beautiful things she had ever seen was still there. "You-you live there?" she choked out.<p>

"Yes," Merco replied from behind her. "Beautiful, is it not?"

She could only nod, overcome by the stunning sight below. As an architect, Annabeth had extensively studied all kind of structures and buildings. She had seen many impressive designs, and come up with quite a few herself. The city below her rivaled any of those, even bested a few. As soon as her initial shock began to fade, she started itching to get down and examine the buildings up close.

"I see you can appreciate such a wonder," Miranda said, smiling at her.

"Architecture is my passion," Annabeth replied. "This is... amazing."

"Perhaps we shall have to introduce you to some of the nibblers," Merco piped up. "They love that kind of thing."

Annabeth wondered what nibblers were, but before she could ask, the bat suddenly dropped again. She let out a small squeak, but remembered not to squeeze the bat.

"Where are we taking her, Miranda?" Merco asked the woman.

Miranda hesitated. "Probably to the Queen."

"Palace it shall be then," the bat Annabeth was riding said. Immediately, he dipped to the left to circle around to the tall structure in the center of the city.

Cautiously, Annabeth leaned over the side of the bat a little to try to get a better look at the city below, now that they were closer. She could see the people now, all looking like her two escorts did. Silvery hair, pale skin. Interesting. She wondered if it was a genetic thing.

"Miranda, do you hear that?" Merco asked.

Annabeth listened, frowning as she caught what he was talking about. There was a faint roar, as if from a crowd, coming from somewhere to their right.

"It is coming from the arena," she replied. "Was something big happening today?"

Merco frowned. "I believe it was just standard training. Shall we go see?"

Miranda bit her lip. "Yes. Let us go."

The bats changed direction, heading for a large oval-shaped structure, like an open air stadium. As they approached, the noise grew louder and the clash of swords could be heard over the noise. With a swoop that made Annabeth's stomach clench, they soared into the arena.

Chaos. People with swords and armor were running everywhere but most of the people's attention were focused on one very familiar boy with a glowing sword. People were yelling, pressing forward, only to cower before the light from the sword. Percy was completely surrounded by people, and he kept turning in a circle to fend off his attackers.

Merco seemed stunned and sat on his bat unmoving, even as they landed.

Annabeth however, suddenly got her wits back. Yanking up the leg of her jeans, she freed her knife from its bindings, then slid off the bat and ran into the fray. Ducking around people, and elbowing several people out of the way, she somehow managed to get to the centermost ring around her boyfriend.

She burst into the middle, only to have her arm almost taken off. "Percy!" she yelled.

Percy's expression turned to one of shock, then joy. "Annabeth!" he shouted, dropping his sword and sweeping her into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. For the moment at least."

"Good." He stepped back, still holding her shoulders. "Hang on, why just 'for the moment'?"

"Percy," Annabeth told him patiently. "We're surrounded by a mob of angry people with swords, and our weapons are no good against them."

Percy looked around at the still-furious but now a little confused crowd around them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his sword, uncapping it. "Got your knife?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she told him.

"They're afraid of the glow," he told her in a low tone. "So keep it up, and try not to get skewered. I'm not fond of girlfriend-ka-bob."

"Got it," she replied. The took up a stance back to back, circling slowly. But now that Annabeth was there, the people seemed more reluctant to attack them.

After about ten minutes, a shout came from somewhere on the outskirts of the group. "The Queen!"

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Annabeth asked under her breath.

The crowd began to part to make way for four figures. She could see as they came that the first was a man, limping slightly. Another was a teenage girl, probably about fourteen. She wore a gold circlet on her head and Annabeth deduced that she must be the Queen. The third figure was a rat. Annabeth's eyes grew wide, for though this rat was walking on all fours, it was still about four feet tall.

She felt Percy shudder, and she could understand why.

"_You_," she heard him breathe.

Annabeth looked to the last person and, not for the the first time that day, received a huge shock. The fourth person was Gregor.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, we're back to the prologue! Time to really dig into this. On another note, I've posted two new stories. A oneshot for How To Train Your Dragon, and the beginning of a three-shot for the Sisters Grimm series. You should check them out.<strong>

**As always, ideas are very welcome! Keep 'em coming!**

**And finally, I'm thinking of changing my pen name to Katniss Daywalker and have set up a poll on my profile. Please vote! Thanks! You guys are the best! -Queen**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovelies! Sorry it took so long. College and all... Anyway, here's the next chapter. Three more after this. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7.<p>

"Who are you?" the girl with the circlet asked them, but Annabeth could only look at Gregor.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gregor asked, looking almost as shocked as she felt.

"We could ask the same thing of you," Percy told him, a frown starting to form on his face.

Gregor waved that off. "Why do you have a sword," he peered closer, "and why is it glowing?"

Percy capped Riptide, not answering the question.

"Demigods," the rat suddenly said.

Annabeth couldn't help it, she jumped.

Percy stared at the oversized rodent. "Excuse me?"

The rat sat up on its hind legs, looking bored. "You're demigods. Am I right?"

"But-" spluttered Annabeth.

"Oh, don't try to deny it," the rat said. "Your scent gives you away."

"Ripred, what are you talking about?" the girl asked the rat.

"I'll explain in a minute," the rat replied, "But I think we should get these two to the palace first. They seemed to have seriously ticked off some of our friends here."

The girl nodded. "Fair enough." She looked around, then suddenly seemed very thrown off. Gregor reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her a reassuring look.

"We'll go on Achilles," he told her. They both crouched, and then leaped into the air as high as they could. Out of nowhere, a chocolate-brown bat swooped down under them, so that they landed smoothly on its back, and then flew up back into the air.

"Holy Hephaestus," Percy muttered, and Annabeth had to agree. She doubted most of the Campers had that kind of agility.

Merco had reappeared at her elbow. "Annabeth, you can ride with me again."

Percy shot him a look. "Who are you?"

"I am he called Merco," Merco told him.

"Well, 'Merco'," Percy said, "I think she's okay."

"You speak for her?" Merco sounded skeptical.

"Yes. She's mine," Percy informed him.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Territorial, much?" she mumbled.

Merco's eyes widened. "Oh, I am sorry- I did not mean-"

"That's okay," Annabeth told him. "I'll just ride with Miranda."

"Of course. Yes. Excellent idea," he told her.

Annabeth walked over to where Miranda was standing next to her bat. "May I ride with you?" she asked.

"If you wish," Miranda told her.

Merco looked back to Percy. "My apologies. I did not know. Would you like to ride with me?"

Percy didn't really want to, but everyone else was leaving. "I guess," he said, following Merco over to another one of the large bats sitting upright on the arena floor.

"This is he called Heracles," Merco introduced. "He is my bond."

"Greetings," a deep voice said.

Percy looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, before suddenly realizing that it was the bat who had spoken. "Whoa! You can talk!"

The bat shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Indeed. Shall we be going?"

Merco mounted the bat with ease, holding out a hand to help Percy up.

Percy ignored the offer, instead trying to copy what Merco had done in mounting the bat. It took him a couple tries, with Merco looking more and more amused, but at last, he was sitting behind Merco on the bat.

With a snap of the bat's wings, they were in the air. Percy was tense at first, but after a couple minutes relaxed. It wasn't unlike riding a Pegasus, actually. The flight didn't last long before they touched down on a balcony sticking out from the side of the biggest building in the city, a ginormous cylinder made of the same stone as the rest of the structures. Annabeth and the others, including Gregor, were already waiting.

"First things first," the rat said. "Baths and new clothes."

"Excuse me?" Annabeth said. "Why do we need baths?"

Gregor smirked, the first thing resembling a smile that Percy had seen him make. "You smell."

The pale girl with the gold circlet on her head elbowed him, giving him a look that Percy took as 'be civil.' She then turned to Annabeth and explained, "What he means is that you smell of the Overland. Though we are currently at peace, it does not do to draw unwelcome attention to yourselves. By bathing and trading clothes, it helps to mask your scent."

Annabeth nodded to this, though she still didn't look too happy about it.

"Merco and Miranda will show you to the bathing room." the girl said, turning away. "Come, Gregor."

Gregor shot Percy and Annabeth a disgruntled look, then followed the girl out the door.

"Alright then," Miranda said. "If you would just follow us..."

Miranda and Merco led the way through the stone halls, lit by the same small oil torches that Percy had seen on the dock.

"This is unbelievable," Annabeth whispered.

"Tell me about it," Percy said. "Where does that kid fit in?"

Annabeth looked a little startled. "Gregor? Well, yeah, but I was talking about this whole place! How could an entire underground community go completely unnoticed _beneath New York?_ It just doesn't make sense!"

Percy looked at her. "Um, need I remind you that we are the children of Greek Gods?"

Annabeth grimaced. "Good point. But still..."

Percy took her hand and squeezed. "I know what you mean. It is rather strange."

"We are here!" Merco said, turning back to them. Seeing that they were holding hands, he directed an irritated look in Percy's direction. "Men on the left, women on the right."

"We will bring you a change of clothes," Miranda added.

Percy ventured to the left doorway, and found himself in what reminded him of a school locker room. It didn't take him long to find the bathing pool, and when he was done in there, he found that a change of clothes had been left for him by the door to the bathing room. They were comfortable, if a bit of an odd cut.

He was still adjusting them as he came out of the baths.

"Took you long enough," Annabeth said. She was wearing a set of the strange clothes as well, and looked quite nice in them.

"What are these made of, anyway?" Percy asked. "They're really comfy."

"Spinner silk," Miranda replied.

"Spinner silk?" Annabeth asked, confused. "What's a spinner?"

"I believe that overlanders refer to them as 'spiders'," Miranda replied.

Annabeth's eyes widened. "I'm wearing spider silk?" she cried.

"Yes," Merco replied. "What is the matter?"

Annabeth had gone quite pale and looked rather faint.

"Hey, it's okay," Percy told her. "Deep breaths. It's just cloth, not actual spiders."

Annabeth still looked like she was about to have a panic attack, so Percy walked over and started rubbing her shoulders.

"So what now?" he asked Miranda.

"We are to take you to the dining hall," she replied. "The Queen would like to speak with you."

The two demigods followed Merco and Miranda through more of the halls, until they reached a doorway.

"Through here," Merco said.

Entering into the room, Percy found that a large table had been set up, with several places at the far end. Six of them were already filled, with the young Queen, the giant rat, the limping man from the arena, a new woman, an elderly man, and a scowling Gregor all sitting there, though there were four other empty places.

"Ah," the old man said, getting to his feet with the help of a cane. "Welcome. Please, have a seat."

Percy pulled out a chair for Annabeth at one of the empty spaces, then sat next to her.

The old man sat again, struggling a little to lower himself. "Well, shall we start?"

"No, Vikus," the teen girl said. "We have to wait for Hazard and Lizzie. I sent Dulcet after them, they should be here any second."

Annabeth's head snapped up at the mention of Lizzie, and she looked at Percy with a questioning glance.

There was silence in the room for a few long minutes, until suddenly Lizzie and a young boy with dark hair ran into the room.

"Sorry," Lizzie gasped as she slid into a seat. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" she asked, catching sight of Percy and Annabeth.

"We followed you," Annabeth replied.

"Oh." She frowned. "That wasn't very smart of you."

Annabeth opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the arrival of the food, carried in by more of the pale people.

Percy examined the meal that was placed before him. Fish, some kind of salad with small leaves, and a roll of some sort. Everyone around him dug in, so he did as well. It was surprisingly good.

"Well," Vikus said once everyone had been eating for a few minutes, "I suppose we should tell our visitors about the Underland now. Luxa?"

The teen girl sighed. "Yes?"

"Would you do us the honor of explaining our origins to our guests?"

She didn't look happy, but nodded anyway. "I guess." She launched into an explanation that Percy found a little hard to follow. Something about sandwiches, Native Americans, and giant creatures. He started to let his mind wander, but snapped back when the girl mentioned prophecies.

"Wait, prophecies? You guys have prophecies?"

"Yes," Luxa replied.

"Unfortunately," Gregor added.

Luxa smacked his arm. "Stop it! Why are you so unhappy today?"

Gregor just mumbled something and went back to pushing his food around his plate.

"Could you tell us one of the prophecies?" Annabeth asked.

"Certainly," Vikus replied. "Gregor?"

Gregor sighed. "Fine." He took a deep breath and launched into the recitation. "_Beware, Underlanders, time hangs by a thread. The hunters are hunted, white water runs red. The gnawers will strike to extinguish the rest. The hope of the hopeless resides in a quest._

"_An Overland warrior, a son of the sun, May bring us back light, he may bring us back none. But gather your neighbors and follow his call, Or rats will most surely devour us all._

"_Two over, two under, of royal descent, Two flyers, two crawlers, two spinners assent. One gnawer beside and one lost up ahead, And eight will be left when we count up the dead._

"_The last who will die must decide where he stands. The fate of the eight is contained in his hands. So bid him take care, bid him look where he leaps, As life may be death and death life again reaps."_

"The Prophecy of Grey," Luxa said. "Our first prophecy involving Gregor."

Percy blinked. "Involving Gregor?"

"Yeah," Lizzie piped up. "Gregor was the Warrior."

"So wait," Annabeth said, "You're saying that this prophecy was made a couple hundred years ago by Sandwich, and ended up being about Gregor?"

Vikus nodded gravely. "Yes. Gregor, I believe it is your turn to explain yourself."

Gregor looked reluctant, but started his tale.

Percy and Annabeth were speechless by the end of it.

"You... Oh my..."

He looked at them with haunted eyes.

Percy felt terrible for the kid. He himself had fought and killed lots, too. He had faced death many times. Percy had even had his own death prophecy, but somehow, it was vastly different.

For one thing, the creatures that Gregor had killed didn't just turn to dust. He was only twelve when he faced most of his near-death experiences. And most of all... Gregor had accepted death, showing a maturity at age twelve that Percy still didn't quite posses.

Percy now found a new attitude toward the moody teen. Respect.

"Without Gregor," Luxa said, "None of us would be here. The peace would never have been arranged."

Gregor blushed at looked down at his plate.

"So what about you?" Vikus asked them. "Ripred said that you are demigods."

"Yes," Annabeth said. "How much do you know about us?"

"Oh, not a lot," Vikus said. "The fliers are better experts than we are."

"Wait a second," Luxa said, leaning forward. "As demigods, do you know a lot about mythology?"

"Well, yeah," Annabeth said, looking a little weirded out. "Why?"

"Luxa," Gregor suddenly said. "I know what you're thinking and I don't think it's a good idea. They need to get home."

"But Gregor, what if they can help?" Luxa asked. "Aurora has been missing for over a week now!"

"I know you're worried about her, I am too. But we don't need their help!"

Percy raised his hand. "Uh, question? Help with what?"

Clapping a hand over Gregor's mouth, Luxa explained, "My bond, Aurora, went with some of her friends to visit a place sacred to the fliers. That was over a week ago, and they haven't returned. It isn't that far away. Every flier who has gone out to search has not returned. I, myself, have gone to search but they have disappeared without a trace. The only clue we have to where they may have gone is some writing in ancient Greek at the sacred place."

"We'd love to help," Annabeth said.

"You just want us to read some Greek? Yeah, that won't be a problem," Percy agreed.

Taking her hand off Gregor's mouth, Luxa smiled sumgly at him. "See, they would love to!"

Gregor frowned. "Fine. But they're going home right after!"

Annabeth shrugged. "Okay."

Luxa beamed. "Perfect! Let me go find some fliers. We shall leave at once."

* * *

><p><strong>There you go! I don't own either fandom. Leave a review, then go read my new FrozenRise of the Guardians crossover, Just a Jack Frost to be Seen. It's very fluffy and cute. Queen out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again, my lovelies! I love how consistent you all are. Hello to those experiencing a new chapter for the first time, and welcome back for those who are not. I have officially come up with a plot line for the rest of this, so there's only gonna be two more chapters after this one. Anyway, here's the new chapter! Enjoy the Gluxa and Percabeth!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

About twenty minutes later, Annabeth found herself on another flier, this time with Luxa. She had wanted to ride with Percy, but Gregor had suggested otherwise, surprising everyone.

Luxa's cheerful mood seemed to have vanished and they were flying in stoney silence.

"So," Annabeth said finally, "How long until we get there?"

"About half an hour," Luxa replied shortly.

"Are... Are you mad at me?"

"Triton, can you fall behind the boys, please?" Luxa asked the flier.

He obliged, and the guys took the lead.

Luxa turned to Annabeth. "I am not mad at you. I am worried for my bond, and very upset with Gregor."

"Are you two... you know?" Annabeth wasn't good at this.

"We are not yet officially engaged, though the possibility has crossed my mind. He is more comfortable down here, I think. I believe it is a matter of getting his family to agree. They have had some bad experiences with my land. And yourself? Percy is your husband, is he not?"

Annabeth blinked. "Husband? No!"

"Oh, I am sorry. I did not mean to offend. I just assumed from your easy manner with one another that you were already married. Courtship, then?"

"Uh, yes," Annabeth replied. "We... we really act like we are married?"

"Yes," Luxa replied. "I could tell that you care deeply for one another. You are always aware of the other person's presence, and I can tell that you have gone through a lot together."

"That's true," Annabeth admitted. "So much."

"Simmilarily, I am upset because Gregor is upset about something, and he will not tell me what it is."

"Maybe he's upset because you are missing your bond," Annabeth suggested. "He strikes me as the type who tries to put other people's needs before his own. He can't be happy... until you are."

"I never thought of that," Luxa said, her tone contemplative. "I suppose that makes sense. Thank you, Annabeth. I can tell we are going to be great friends."

"Anytime." Annabeth smiled at the Queen.

And with that, they caught up to the boys.

About twenty minutes later, Annabeth heard Percy say, "Water."

"What? Where?" she asked him.

"Up ahead," Luxa responded. "The Garden of the Hesperides. Or rather, what used to be the garden. About thirty years ago it was flooded and many lost their lives. The Greek ruins are on the other side."

They came out on the huge cavern, and Annabeth held her torch, the only source of light, up a little higher. Sure enough, the entire floor of the space was covered in water, though here and there you could see the tops of trees, sticking out from the liquid expanse.

"Such a tragedy," Triton the flier muttered.

A few minutes later, they touched down at the front of what appeared to be an ancient Greek temple.

Annabeth slid off ther flier and gaped at it, lost for words.

"How on earth did it get here?" Percy asked, puzzled.

"It was here before Sandwich," Luxa said. "It's been a sacred spot of the fliers for hundreds of years."

"We come here to make sacrifices," Achilles rumbled.

"Once a year, we all come," added Triton. "This is where Aurora and the others were last reported."

"We have searched the main chamber and the beginning of the tunnel, but there is a wall about forty feet in," Gregor said. "It has Greek writing all over it. We can't make any sense of it."

"Lead the way," Annabeth said.

The bats were left at the entrance to the ruined temple, and Luxa led the way through the crumbling foundations to the wall that appeared the most intact.

"There," she said, pointing at a carving on the wall.

Gregor held up a torch as Annabeth stepped closer, peering at the enscription. "Εισάγετε."

"Enter," Percy automatically translated.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, running her fingers over the words. Her hand caught on something, and she looked closely at the word. "Wait a second... Could I get more light, please?"

Gregor passed Luxa the torch, and Luxa held it up for Annabeth. Gregor stepped back to stand by Percy, and together they watched the girls examine the wall.

"So, you're like, half Greek god?" Gregor eyed Percy, not bothering to face him.

Percy nodded. "Yeah."

Gregor winced. "And I thought my life was weird."

Percy felt a stab of shame. "It is. Weirder than mine, anyway." _My monsters just disappear when I stab them, _he thought.

"Wait, I found it!" Annabeth said, pressing a stone on the wall.

Percy barely had time to turn back to her, before the ground vanished from beneath him, and once more, he found himself falling. He only had time to think about how old that feeling was getting, before he knew no more.

* * *

><p>"Percy?"<p>

Percy groaned, pushing himself up from the cold stone he was lying on. "Where are we?"

"Tunnels." Gregor's voice did not sound scared, just annoyed. "We're underground. The girls and the fliers are still up there, but the trapdoor closed behind us."

Percy sat up, looking around. He couldn't see anything however, the darkness was like Nico after watching the part in How to Train Your Dragon where Hiccup has just lost his leg. Complete and total. "How are we supposed to get out of here? We have no light."

"I can echolocate. And don't you have a glowing sword?"

"Oh yeah." Percy was feeling nervous again. He hated being separated from Annabeth, and now it had happened twice in one day. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his pen and uncapped it. The soft glow soon lit his surroundings, and he could see that they were indeed in a tunnel.

Gregor was examining the floor, a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. "I think this might be where the missing fliers came. Look, you can see here. These scratches are what it looks like when a flier has to walk, and they certainly couldn't fly in here."

Percy stood up, holding his sword in front of him. The scratches didn't look like much to him, but then again, he had no experience on the matter. Turning in a circle, he spotted some more Greek writing on the wall. "Hey, look!"

Gregor straightened up, looking at the wall with him. "What does it say?"

Percy squinted. "It's faded, but I think it says, "Follow the marks to the Sacred Stream.""

Gregor walked farther down the wall. "Oh, these marks?"

Percy followed him, and saw three wavey lines drawn on the wall. "Yeah. I'd say that's a safe bet."

Together, they began to follow the tunnel, walking in silence. It bothered Percy how he couldn't really read this kid. Most younger teens at Camp liked Percy, and Percy tried to be encouraging to them. This kid... Didn't seem like a kid. He seemed like someone who had had his life torn apart by war, no bright side to the equation. A Veteran. Percy could respect that, but it just didn't seem right. Not in someone so young.

"Are you okay?"

Percy's thoughts were interrupted by Gregor, who was looking at him with concern. "I know this is strange. It took me forever to come to terms with it. And I'm sorry if I seem crabby. You kind of spoiled my date with my girlfriend."

Startled, Percy stopped walking. "What?"

"I don't mean to be so crabby."

"No, the part about your girlfriend. That's what you're mad about?"

Gregor looked at the ground. "Well, yeah."

Percy laughed. "Dude, why didn't you say so? I know exactly how you feel! You kinda ruined my date, too."

Gregor looked at Percy. "That's why you were mad? I thought you just didn't like me!"

Percy shook his head. Here he had thought that Gregor was the surely one, but he had been coming off the exact same way. "No. I just wanted to take my girlfriend to the movies."

Gregor cracked a smile, the first one that Percy had seen. "I just wanted to help my girlfriend rescue her bond. I guess I owe you an apology."

Percy smiled back. "Me too. Friends?"

Gregor nodded. "Friends."

They began to walk again, but Percy now found it a whole lot amiable. He was just reflecting on how ironic it was that technically the whole misunderstanding had been the girl's fault, when Gregor suddenly stopped.

"I hear water," he whispered.

Percy suddenly realized that yes, there was running water up ahead.

"The sound is odd though," Gregor continued. "I think there must be a cavern just ahead. Be careful."

Moving as silently as they could, swords at the ready, the two boys crept forward. The tunnel suddenly ended, and just as Gregor had predicted, they found themselves in a huge cavern. On the far end, a stream cut across, coming from one wall and flowing into another.

A soft clicking noise came from Gregor, telling Percy that he was echolocating. He then drew in a sharp breath.

"The fliers," he hissed. "They are all on the ceiling. Aurora!" he suddenly shouted, making Percy jump.

The illumination from Percy's sword did not extend to the ceiling, but he heard a rustling noise.

Just then, a giant shape swooped down, and hovered in front of them. "Overlander? What are you doing here? It is not safe!"

"We came to rescue you," Percy said.

Gregor opened his mouth to say something, but didn't get the chance as suddenly, a large shape sped out of the darkness, striking at the hovering flier who was forced to dodge upwards.

Finding that its prey was now out of reach, the shape turned to the demigod and the Warrior, venom dripping from fangs the size of the Minotaur horn that Percy kept on his cabin wall back at camp.

A rustling came from behind him, and his breath caught in his throat as he spun to see two more giant serpents slither into the circle of light cast by his sword.

"Go!" shrieked Aurora from above. "The Twisters are here!"

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah. Cliffie! You are welcome. I thought I was making Gregor a little too up-tight in Percy's opinion, but now he realizes that Gregor's just mad that he doesn't get Luxa all to himself. Silly Gregor, haven't you heard of double dating? Anyway, <strong>

**CONTEST TIME! **

**Here's how to win. One, give this story a shoutout, either in your next story update or on your profile page and PM me (or review this) that you have done so. Two, submit two names, a boy's and a girl's. (Remember, Sally and Grace are both pregnant!) **

**I will choose the names I like best, selecting one or two winners. You will then get a shout-out, and the name(s) used in a bonus oneshot for this story called "Underland Babysitting." **

**Well, hope you liked this chapter! Enter the contest, leave a review, and don't forget to be awesome! Queen out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, one thing before we get started. Troy is NOT a human colony. It's a FLIER one. That's why I didn't include it. So please, stop jumping on me for that. I've been in the TUC fandom for years. I know what I'm writing. Anyway, enjoy chapter 9!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9.<p>

The serpent struck at them, moving fast as lightning. Percy and Gregor sprang apart, and the snake's head hit just over the entrance they had just come through. A wave of rocks came tumbling down, covering both the head of the snake and their way out. Percy didn't really have time to think about that though, because the other two snakes were advancing on him.

"Hey!" he heard Gregor shout. The snakes paused, and sword at the ready, Percy ran for the nearest one. As he reached it, he jumped, plunging it into its neck as deep as he could.

"Yeah!" he heard Gregor shout, as, completely surprised that that had actually worked, he lost his grip.

The snake hissed in agony as Percy landed on the ground with a thump. He scrabbled away as it started to thrash wildly, trying to dislodge the celestial bronze blade. From the faint glow of the portion of the sword that was not embedded in snake, he could see that the creature had started to leak monster dust.

Meanwhile, the other one was toying with Gregor, who had drawn both a sword and a dagger and was fighting in a spinning style that Percy had never seen before. It seemed to be quite effective, and did great damage every time the reptile came within reach.

Now that Percy knew that the snakes were monsters, he wasn't sure that Gregor's weapons would do anything but annoy the creature, but to his surprise, Gregor suddenly ducked in underneath the head of the snake, thrusting upwards through its lower jaw.

Percy was so engrossed by Gregor's fighting technique that when the dim light from behind him suddenly disappeared, it took him a second to realize what that meant. Plunging his hand into his pocket he pulled out and uncapped his sword, spinning back toward the snake he had stabbed.

The sword had caused it great damage, but it was not dead yet. Leaking dust, it lunged for him, forcing him to roll. He came up swinging, and the monster caught a major hit to the nose. Recoiling, it hissed, and he followed it, trying to target its eyes. One duck, one leap, and another stab later, the creature finally dissolved completely to dust.

Wiping his hands on his underlander pants, Percy turned to help Gregor, only to spin again once more as a tremendous crash echoed through the room. The first serpent, who had been trapped by the rocks, was not dead. In fact, it had now wiggled free.

"Percy!" Gregor cried. "Catch!"

A dagger came hurtling through the air, and Percy caught it. He had only a split second to realize that it was glowing very faintly before the snake was upon him and he was fighting for his life.

The monster was relentless, and fast. It would strike on one side, whipping its tail at the other to catch him off balance from all angles. The dagger was a lifesaver. Although he normally wielded Riptide two-handed, he found that he had better reach and protection with a weapon in both hands.

But then he got a little too cocky. Leaving his guard open for just a second too long, the snake darted forward and sunk one of its foot-long fangs into his arm. "Aurgh!" he cried, dropping his weapons and falling to his knees. He could already feel the poison spreading. The serpent drew back for one final strike. It almost seemed to be laughing at him. But suddenly, its head dropped from its body and tumbled away.

It took Percy a minute, as much pain as he was in, to realize that Gregor had just chopped it off in one fell swoop.

"The Twisters! They're dead!" a voice from above echoed.

"Percy!" Gregor dropped to his knees in front of Percy, his face white, staring at his arm. "Oh crap. You're hurt."

"I noticed," Percy grunted, the poison's fire racing through his veins.

"We need to get out of here, we need to get you to a doctor!" He stood up, looking around wildly, making an agitated clicking sound with his tongue.

Percy's vision was starting to go fuzzy. "Water!" he gasped. "Get me... to water!"

"Water? What's that gonna do?"

A bat landed next to them. "Gregor, is that a... a demigod?"

"Yeah, but he's gonna die if we don't get help!" Gregor said. For the first time, he seemed really upset and more like the thirteen year old kid that he was.

"Who is his godly parent?" asked the bat.

"God of the Ocean or something, but what does—oh!" Gregor kneeled down by Percy again. "Percy, I'm going to drag you to the stream, okay?"

Percy was in too much pain now to answer, but Gregor took that as a yes. Grabbing his waist, he pulled him to a standing position, and, with surprising strength, hoisted Percy up onto his shoulders. Stumbling over the rough terrain of the cavern, he lurched toward the stream on the side of the room. Upon reaching it, he tried to lower Percy gently, but tripped and dumped them both in the water.

The instant that he hit the water, Percy felt better. Drawing upon its power, he willed the poison to reverse its flow, and it began to ooze out of the wound, hissing and spitting as it came into contact with the stream water.

"Whoa," Gregor shivered, dragging himself to the bank. "That's pretty handy. Aurora!"

Percy couldn't see, so he pulled out his sword again, revealing in its glow a beautiful golden bat that Gregor was now embracing. "I'm so glad you're safe," he told her.

She wrapped her wings around him. "And I'm very glad to see you. My companions and I were afraid we might never find rescue."

Gregor let her go, and walked back to where the final snake had been killed. The bat turned her attention to Percy.

"Demigod," she bowed her head. "We are in your debt."

Percy shrugged. "Gregor did most of it. But," he frowned, "How did you know I'm a demigod? Actually, how do you even know about demigods?"

"You glow, brighter even than your sword," Aurora replied. "My kind can not see very well. We rely on our hearing to view the world. However, demigods, we can always see. You glow. And though it has been several generations since the last one, we have seen your kind before. Since the dawn of our time, we have worked with your people from time to time. In fact, it was demigod overlanders who helped us to erect the temple above, and where we get a lot of our tradition. Our first queen was bonded to a son of Athena, I believe."

"Wow," Percy said, stunned at this information.

Gregor came back, holding his dagger. "Nice work with this," he said. "Have you ever fought with one before?"

"Nope," Percy told him, feeling the last of the poison leaving his system. "But I think I'll maybe start practicing. Could I see that for a second?"

Gregor handed him the dagger, and Percy examined it. Sure enough, if he looked hard, he could tell it had its own slight glow. "Aurora," he asked slowly, "Did the demigods ever leave behind weapons?"

"Oh, yes," the bat said. "We have a rather large vein of Quintessinal Silver down here. We mine it and add a little to each of our weapons. You never know when you may meet a monster down here. Like those half-children of Python, for example."

"Wow," Percy said again, handing the dagger back to Gregor. He noticed that Gregor was shivering, and dried his clothes for him, and then stood up. He wasn't quite at full strength again, but the water had done wonders. "Right," he said. "How are we getting out?"

Upon examining the tunnel exit, they found the rocks that now covered it to be too large to move. The snakes had had their own way in and out, but it narrowed out too much for Percy and the bats to get through.

"Too bad you aren't the child of the rock god or something," Gregor said, frowning at the ceiling.

Percy suddenly had an image of Poseidon shredding a guitar solo on a stage, and laughed. "Nah, I'm just the water guy." Suddenly, he remembered the vast expanse of water they had passed over on their way to the temple. Doing some quick mapping in his head, he realized that they may have traveled far enough through the tunnel so that might be under the lake. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his mind. Sure enough, above them, he sensed a great amount of water. He opened his eyes. "Guys," he smiled. "I've got a plan."

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><p><strong>Just a reminder that the contest from the last chapter is still open. Submit a boy's name, a girl's name, and give this story a shout-out and you could have the honor of naming the younger sibling of either Percy or Gregor! Pretty cool, no? I'll be announcing the winner(s) at the end of the next (and final) chapter. Until then!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, here is the last chapter! Has it really been almost three years to get ten chapters? I need to work on my update speed. Anyway, a huge thank-you to all of you who have reviewed/favorited/followed this story for so long. Also, a special shoutout to anyone who helped me with ideas. I was really close to giving this up at one point, but thanks to those people, I found the inspiration to continue. You have my gratitude! **

**So stats! As of today, this story has received 52 reviews, 24 favorites, and 36 follows. You guys rock!**

**And one last thing- remember my little contest? Well, winners are at the bottom! I won't announce the names yet though. But more details later. For now, please enjoy the last chapter of Beneath New York. Thanks for reading! **

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><p>Chapter 10.<p>

Percy had done many strange things in his life, but pep-talking a group of five giant bats with Greek connections in a cavern beneath New York city was a first for him. Nevertheless, the bats seemed to be taking it pretty well, probably because they were practically worshiping him.

"Okay, so I'm going to use my powers—"

"The powers of Poseidon?" asked one bat in a reverent tone.

"Uh, yeah. Those ones," Percy said. "Anyway, I'm going to use them to open a hole in the ceiling, and then—"

"A hole in the rock created by a demigod?" interrupted one elderly looking bat, sounding excited. "It shall be sacred!"

"Um, sure. But _anyway_, I'm going to hold the water out of the way long enough for us to fly out, and then we can meet back with the others. Okay?"

"Whatever is decreed by the Son of the Sea God, we shall obey," another bat answered, and the others all fervently agreed.

"Right then," Percy said. "I think it will be safest if you are all already in the air. That way none of the water will hit you." As the bats once more echoed their assent, Percy turned to Gregor, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Not a word," he told him as they walked over to Aurora.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Flier Guy," Gregor smirked.

Rolling his eyes, Percy followed Gregor in mounting the bat. "Is everyone ready?" he asked.

Five yeses, and they took to the air.

"I'm going to need you to hold onto me," Percy told Gregor. "I've never done something quite like this before, and I need to concentrate. Keep me from falling off, okay?"

Gregor nodded, looking a little nervous.

Percy closed his eyes and reached out with his powers, trying to find the spot in the rock where the water was closest. He willed the water to swirl, to carve. It was incredibly difficult. He had never really controlled the water without being able to see what was actually happening. He ordered the water to churn, to wear at the stone. He felt it getting closer. Closer. And then, like the breaking of a rubber band that had been stretched too far, a hole opened in the ceiling and water began to pour through.

"It's too small!" Gregor shouted in his ear. "The fliers won't fit!"

Keeping his eyes closed for concentration, Percy focused the water at the edges of the hole. If possible, this kind of precision work was even more difficult, and he clenched his jaw with the effort. It was draining him quickly. He hadn't realized just how much the snake's poison had weakened him.

"It's working!" Aurora said.

"Hurry!" Gregor said. "The cavern's filling up fast."

Just when he thought that he couldn't take it anymore, Gregor hollered that it was big enough. Switching his focus, he immediately held back the water that had been pouring in, creating an upwards liquid tunnel to the surface. Opening his eyes just a little, he saw by the faint light of Gregor's dagger one of the circling bats zip upward and through, followed by the next, and then another. One more, and then Aurora was moving into place, ready to escape.

They were almost through the water tunnel when Percy's strength gave out. He lost his hold on Aurora, Gregor lost his hold on him, and, _again_, he found himself falling, this time toward the water below. He had just enough willpower left to keep the tunnel open long enough for Aurora and Gregor to make it out. Looking up as they cleared the water, he saw Gregor turned back to face him, illuminated by his dagger, his mouth open in a cry of disbelief. And then the water came crashing down and he closed his eyes.

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><p>A minute later, Percy opened his eyes, surprised to find that this fall had not injured him. In fact, he actually felt better, surrounded as he was by the vast expanse of water. His eyesight had come back to him underwater as well, and looking around, saw that the water had started to flow naturally along with the small stream. There was still an awful lot of water coming in from the new hole in the ceiling, but it was starting to slow a little.<p>

Kicking his feet a little, he moved toward the hole, bursting through and up to the surface. Standing on the surface of the lake, he looked around, realized he couldn't see anything, and pulled out his sword. The bats were nowhere to be found. Spotting some light in the distance, he willed the currents to carry him along. Time to rejoin the group.

He found them gathered at the retreating water line, arguing over something. Unsure of the cause of the conflict, he slowed as he came close, allowing himself to sink back into the water so that his ears were just above the surface.

"How could you lose him?!" a female voice said. Annabeth.

"Do not speak to him like that," another female said. Luxa, referring to Gregor.

"His loss shall be mourned greatly among all the fliers," the voice of a bat purred. "We shall dedicate the drain hole to him as a monument for his sacrifice."

"Percy's Drain Hole?" Annabeth spluttered, sounding like she was about to kill something.

Percy decided to intervene. And though he knew that she would kill him later for it, he decided that he was going to pick on Annabeth. Willing a tendril of water to sneak up along the beach, he was amazed at the new-found ease of the task. After carving solid rock with water, everything else was easy by comparison.

Annabeth was standing with her back to the water when a tentacle of water suddenly wrapped around her waist, lifted her from her feet, and pulled her backwards into the lake. She didn't even have time to yell before she was face to face with her smirking boyfriend, being held tightly in his arms.

"Hey," he said.

She punched his shoulder.

"Ouch!" he said, letting go of her with one hand to reach up and rub it. "What was that for?"

Leaning forward, she kissed him. Pulling away, her heart was aching with relief as she looked into his eyes. "Don't ever do that to me again," she told him.

In response, he kissed her, just as the water drained enough to reveal their heads to the Underlanders on the shore.

"Percy!" Gregor yelled in shock.

Breaking away from the kiss but still holding onto Annabeth, Percy walked up on the shore. "Hey. Thanks for me from falling."

Gregor winced, but Percy laughed. "Hey, I'm just teasing. I asked mostly so I wouldn't fall off before everyone else got out anyway. And you tried, and I still did, but it's okay."

"But how did you survive?" Luxa asked, incredulous.

Percy frowned. "Wait, did I really forget to mention that I can breathe underwater?"

"Yes!" Gregor, Luxa, and the bats all chorused.

"Oops," Percy said. "Sorry."

"Well, all is well that ends well," Aurora said.

"I suppose," Luxa said, hugging her bond. She turned her head to Percy. "On behalf of the crown, I would like to thank you for saving my bond."

Percy shrugged. "No problem. Actually, Gregor did most of it. I almost died."

Luxa shot Gregor a smile, and then leaned forward and gave him a kiss. When she pulled away, Gregor looked happier than Percy had ever seen him.

"Look!" one of the other bats suddenly said. "The Garden of the Hesperides!"

Percy turned, holding up his sword before realizing that is wasn't necessary, because the landscape was now lit with a soft glow.

"Whoa," Annabeth breathed.

The receding water had revealed trees, but not just any trees. These trees were glowing with a soft light, just like Gregor's dagger.

"Trees from the Garden of the Gods," another bat said softly.

Luxa was beaming. "It's beautiful."

Percy couldn't help but agree.

The moment was interrupted by the ringing of Annabeth's cell phone. "Huh. I didn't think there'd be service down here," she said as she answered it. "Hello?"

"Who is it?" Percy asked her.

"It's your mom," she said, covering the mouthpiece. "She wants to know when we'll be back. She's invited Grace and the kids and I to stay for dinner."

Percy looked at Gregor, who shrugged and looked at Luxa. She smiled, a little sadly. "Tell her that you shall be back in half an hour," Luxa told Annabeth. Annabeth nodded, and relayed the information to Sally as Luxa talked to one of the bats, who then took off. Hanging up, Annabeth asked Percy, "So what exactly are we going to tell her when she asks how the movie was?"

Gregor grimaced. "The truth."

Percy shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. But that means that we're going to have to tell your mom about demigods."

Gregor sighed. "Yeah, I suppose. But hey, she's heard worse."

"Well, whatever you tell your mothers, you have to be home to do so," Luxa pointed out. "I already sent Selene back for Lizzie. We'll meet them at the opening."

This time, Gregor rode with Luxa on Aurora and Percy and Annabeth flew on Achilles. As they flew over the Garden, they saw the drainage hole, still steadily sucking away the water.

"Percy's Drain Hole," Annabeth smirked. "A new addition to the flier's mythology."

"Indeed," Achilles said.

Percy sighed as Annabeth tried not to laugh. "But seriously," she said, "How did you do that?"

He explained, and she began to look thoughtful. "You know, a waterjetted stone temple up on the hill would look really cool. Actually, I can't wait to get to my sketchbook. The city down here gave me all kinds of ideas!"

"This really is a neat place," Percy agreed. "I kind of hate to leave so soon."

"Oh, but you will be back, will you not?" Luxa asked, suddenly popping up next to them on Aurora. "If Grace will let Gregor and Lizzie go with you two, then you can bring them down more often! She will not have to worry, because she trusts you, and Gregor will not have to sneak away and make her worry. It is perfect!"

Gregor caught Percy's eye, smiling with a 'just go with it' look and shrugged.

Percy smiled at Luxa. "Sure. We'd love to come back."

Luxa beamed. "Excellent."

"After all," Percy said, turning to grin at Annabeth sitting behind him, "Who knew there could be so much adventure beneath New York?"

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><p><strong>Ta-da! Wow, I'm happy that that is finished. It was fun to write. Okay, time for the winners! There are actually four of them. <strong>

**Ginger 'n Spice, HuggaBugga, PercyJacksonFanaholic, and DrWhovianist will all be having one of their name suggestions used in a bonus oneshot for this story, entitled Underland Babysitting. I'm just going to post it as an additional chapter onto the end of this one, rather than its own separate oneshot. Look for it in the next couple months. Alright. Well, for the last time... Queen out!**


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